Carlos Ulberg wants to take the belt from the champion, not fight for a vacant title.
Ulbeg, who’s positioned himself as a top contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, doesn’t like the idea of Alex Pereira moving up to heavyweight, and instead hopes to see “Poatan” stick around 205 pounds and make a title defense against him.
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Ulberg wants to become champion regardless of how it’s done, but he much prefers it to be against Pereira – arguably the biggest star in MMA today.
“I’d love to fight Alex,” Ulberg told MMA Junkie. “That’s the big fight. That’s the money fight. That’s an entertaining fight. That’s the fight fans would love to see and watch. I hope that he sticks around the light heavyweight division so that I can fight Pereira. That would be amazing. That would be the fight that I always wanted. You beat someone like Alex, that just means you’re at the top level. This is putting all the guys out of the picture, but I want Alex.”
Ulberg is coming off a vicious KO win over former UFC title challenger Dominick Reyes in September in the UFC Perth main event in Australia. If Pereira has another title defense at light heavyweight, many consider Ulberg the next contender in line, though he’s got some competition. Jiri Prochazka, a former champion of the division, stopped Khalil Rountree Jr. in one of the best fights of 2025 earlier this month for his second straight win.
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Despite Prochazka’s violent run, Ulberg still thinks he’s up next, especially because Prochazka has already lost twice to Pereira.
“(It’s a tough sell), 100 percent,” Ulbeg said. “That’s the thing. He’s coming off two loses with Pereira, so I don’t see a third happening. He’s campaigning as much as you can because it’s the big fights that you want, but it’s my time now. He’s had his moments, which is great, and you have to give credit where it’s due. But right now it’s my time.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Carlos Ulberg hopes Alex Pereira delays heavyweight move